The city of Columbus will hold a town hall in about two weeks to discuss potential annexation, Mayor Keith Gaskin told The Dispatch Thursday afternoon.
The event is set for 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 8, in the lower level of the Trotter Convention Center, Gaskin said, and is intended to get citizens up to speed on what’s going on and what is yet to come as far as annexation.
“What we’re going to try to do is go over all the details of what it takes for a city to annex an area into the city limits,” Gaskin said. “We’ll make sure everyone knows exactly what areas we’re talking about, and we’re going to talk about all the costs to the city to do this.”
The event will also be streamed for those unable to attend, he said.
The council has been eying several areas and voted last month to start the annexation process. An annexation ordinance must be passed by the council and approved by Lowndes County Chancery Court before it becomes official.
The first area, which borders Wards 2 and 3, is bounded by Highway 82 to the north, Armstrong Road to the east, Lehmberg Road to the west and Deerfield Drive to the south.
The second area, which borders Wards 1 and 2, is bounded on the east by South Lehmberg Drive, on the south by the area adjacent to Scott Drive, on the west by Hargrove Road and to the north around Vernon Branch Creek.
A study completed by Oxford-based Bridge and Watson projected annual tax revenues from the areas to total $86,872 and $182,497 respectively.
Annual costs for each are estimated at $224,539 and $266,745, respectively, and include additional police officers and equipment as well as an additional code enforcement officer.
Columbus Air Force Base was also under consideration, but was abandoned due to its very high costs compared to its potential revenues.
Vice Mayor and Ward 2 Councilman Joseph Mickens and Ward 5 Councilman Stephen Jones started talking about annexation in 2022. Gaskin has said he opposes annexation, and would rather wait until the city has a strategic plan in place.
Gaskin said the town hall aims to put all the pros and cons out there, as well as give citizens the opportunity to ask questions, regardless of whether they are for or against annexation.
“We want to do this in a very calm manner,” Gaskin said. “We know there are strong feelings on either side. We hope to have a clean, clear discussion on the annexation process and why these two areas are being looked at.”
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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